Prof. Myron Orfield Quoted by KSTP on Calls For Metropolitan Council Changes

Professor Myron Orfield was quoted by KSTP on the recent calls for more accountability in the Metropolitan Council. Amidst a massively over-budget metro-line extension that is still millions of dollars away from being completed, many Minnesotans are looking for a way to better hold the Metropolitan Council accountable for providing promised results. Some have suggested that switching to an election-based appointment system may help. Currently, board members are chosen by the governor. However, this is not the first time such an idea has been suggested. In 1997, Professor Orfield authored a bill that would make the same change. While it passed in the House and the Senate, it was vetoed by the governor. Professor Orfield explained, “The status quo has lots of friends. It’s very hard to get the government to change or anybody to change.” Citing a more positive outlook this time around, Professor Orfield elaborated “It’s the most powerful unit of government, but for the state, and this session, it might have shown it’s more powerful than the state government, that reformers weren’t able to touch it.”